Dallas Mavericks fans were pleasantly shocked to see Dereck Lively II dribble all the way up the court and score during Monday’s pre-season
opener against the Memphis Grizzlies.
But for the Mavs’ 7-1 second-year center, that maneuver was just a small sample size of what he worked on this past summer to enhance his game. And it could have a major impact on what he’ll be able to accomplish this season.
“I’ve been working on my game no matter if that’s me putting the ball on the floor and me playing out of the pocket, or me being in the short corner,” Lively said after Tuesday’s practice session. “I’ve just been trying to expand my game as much as possible.
“Whatever time, whatever chance that I get to show off whatever I can do, sit back and watch. But I’m not out here forcing shots. I’m not out here forcing possessions, because I have a great team around me.”
Coach Jason Kidd thoroughly enjoyed Lively’s length of the court basket which he negotiated against the Grizzlies.
“He was great,” Kidd said. “He’s doing it in practice. He has the skill set to be a player who can release the pressure with the dribble.
“So, we’ll see how that goes as training camp continues and being able to have him bring the ball (up the court) and get us organized.”
Lively is certainly up to the challenge of displaying different aspects of his game.
“Whenever I can find my time to shine or my time to be able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, I’m going to do it,” he said. “But I’m not going to be trying to do it every possession, because that’s not how we’re going to play and that’s not how we’re going to get back to the (NBA) Finals.”
Maybe not, but having Lively make marked improvements to his game is something that should be advantageous for the Mavs.
“I feel like my touch around the rim — no matter if that’s a hook with my left hand or my right hand, a floater, a little push shot — I just feel like overall my touch has
gotten a lot better,” Lively said. “I’m more under control, more on balanced, and I’m more comfortable.”
Following a rookie season that saw him average 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23.9 minutes, Lively put in a lot of work in the offseason with assistant coach Sean Sweeney. The results?
“The work is working,” Lively said. “Being able to be in position where I’m doing as much as I can when it comes to my own time and getting my shots up, I just want to say, ‘Thank you Sean Sweeney.’
“He’s been motivating me. He done push me way harder than any coach has. No matter if that’s ball handling, touch shots, threes, he’s been the hardest coach on me.”
That extra push by Sweeney apparently paid off as Lively finished Monday’s 121-116 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the pre-season opener with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in just 14 minutes off the bench. And he was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.
“I feel like I’ve had the most growth in the game and I’ve been extending my game as much as possible,” Lively said. “Whenever you see all the workouts that you’ve been doing and you’ve been able to use it in a game, it just makes you want to go back and work harder.”
After attempting and converting just one three-pointer all year last season – it occurred in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston – Lively also worked on that part of his game.
“I feel like I’ve definitely gotten a lot (more) comfortable — going back to my touch,” he said. “No matter if that’s me starting from the front of the rim and just slowly working my way out to the free throw (line) and slowly taking my way out to the three, it’s just being more confident.
“No matter if I’m getting the shot off rhythm or in rhythm, it’s having confident in the shot and staying with it.”
As far as any individual goals Lively set for himself for the upcoming season, he wants to shoot better than the 50.6 percent he shot from the free throw line last season. He also wants to “be more consistent when it comes to playing out of the pick-and-roll no matter if that’s making reads or getting to the rim or getting my teammates open.”
He added that he wants to eliminate “all of the little mistakes that I was doing last year – the ticky-tack fouls, the miscommunications, the missed calls or even the missed rotations. My job is to be the defensive anchor for the team.
“So, I’m going to do my best to be able to know that my team doesn’t have to worry about that piece. I’m going to do my job every day of the week.”
Lively debunked the notion that there’s added pressure on the Mavs to get back to the NBA Finals after they added a bushel of talent — including Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie — over the offseason.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure,” he said. “That’s the goal. That’s the standard. That’s what we’re here to play for. It’s why we’re here. It’s why we’re playing – to get to the Finals.
“We like to compete. We’ve got some real depth to this team, we’ve got a lot of characters, a lot of utilities, a lot of abilities to score the ball and a lot of ways to play.”
HARDY’S GROWTH: Coach Jason Kidd likes the way Jaden Hardy’s game has developed over the years.
The 6-4 third-year guard averaged 8.8 points in 14.8 minutes as a rookie two seasons ago, and 7.3 points in 13.5 minutes last season.
“I think when you talk about Hardy’s progress, he’s grown each year,” Kidd said. “He came in as a scorer and he continued (to be a scorer).
“He can score, he can shoot it and now he’s added the ability to play-make. And I think we saw some of that in the playoffs last year when you talk about the Oklahoma City series and the Minnesota series. We needed someone to be able to knock down shots, and he did that for us, and now, (we’re) looking at (him) making the right decisions as a playmaker and he’s doing that.”
Hardy tallied a game-high 21 points during Monday’s pre-season game against Memphis. In that contest he was a very efficient 6-of-10 from behind the three-point line and also picked up eight assists and three steals.
“We will continue to put him in positions to not just score, but to be able to make plays for his teammates and I think he’s up for that challenge,” Kidd said. “But I 
think he’s worked extremely hard this summer on his game to be able to do that, and he’s going to be one of those guys that will be in that rotation.
“We’re not going to take away his scoring ability. He can score the ball and he can shoot it. He’s not afraid. I think also, he’s shown that he can play with Luka (Dončić) and (Kyrie Irving) in big situations. Again, defensively he can guard the ball. He’s grown here in the last three years, and we look for him to have a big jump this season.”
BRIEFLY: On Tuesday’s announcement by Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall that she’s retiring on Dec. 31, coach Jason Kidd said: “Hearing the news today about Cynt retiring – she’s been great to me. A former (University of California) Golden Bear. She’s going to be dearly missed, but the things that she’s done for this franchise is huge. I wish her the best in retirement, but we will miss her.”. .The Mavs waived guard A. J. Lawson on Tuesday. In 56 games spanning the past two seasons with the Mavs, Lawson averaged 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.5 minutes. “A. J. has been great for us,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Unfortunately, they waived him today, and so we wish him the best of luck. But I think when you look at the athleticism, the way that he has improved, being here, the development, again, he did everything we asked and there was a big jump in his game. But looking at the numbers, management had to make a decision.”. .In the aftermath of Monday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the pre-season opener, coach Jason Kidd said: “We have some guys that are banged up a little bit, but we had a good practice today. (Kyrie Irving) and Klay (Thompson) participated, but there are some other guys that are sore, so we held them out of practice.”
X: @DwainPrice
Share and comment